Trump says Iran supreme leader “should be very worried”

• Nuclear Threats and Deterrence: In an NBC interview, President Trump warned Supreme Leader Khamenei to be "very worried," claiming the US had already achieved "total obliteration" of a past nuclear site and threatening severe consequences if Iran attempts to build new ones.
• Muscat Meeting Finalized: Despite a near-breakdown in diplomacy, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that nuclear-focused talks with US envoys are set for Friday at 10:00 AM in Oman, following pressure from regional allies to avoid a military escalation.

US President Donald Trump said in an interview with NBC News Wednesday that Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei should be "very worried," as the US builds up its military forces in the region.

"I would say he should be very worried, yeah, he should be," Trump told the US broadcaster. "As you know, they are negotiating with us."

On Iran’s nuclear programme, Trump told NBC News: “Here’s the deal: if they try again, and I let them know that if they do, we’re going to send them right back and do the job again.”

“They tried to go back to the site. They couldn’t even get near it. There was total obliteration, They were thinking about starting a new site in a different part of the country.

“We found out about it. I said, “If you do that, we’re going to do very bad things to you.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that nuclear negotiations with the United States were scheduled for Friday in Oman, despite an Axios report that the talks were falling apart.

"Nuclear talks with the United States are scheduled to be held in Muscat on about 10 am Friday," said Araghchi in an X post on Wednesday, thanking Oman "for making all the necessary arrangements".

Negotiations back

After a brief standoff that nearly derailed negotiations, US-Iran nuclear will resume following intense lobbying by Arab leaders to prevent cancellation, said an Axios report citing senior US officials.

The discussions were initially planned for Istanbul addressing broader issues like Iran's missile program and human rights, but were shifted to a bilateral format focused solely on nuclear matters at Iran's insistence.

US officials initially rejected the change, with a senior official stating on Friday, "We told them it is this or nothing, and they said, 'Ok, then nothing.'"

The reversal came after at least nine Middle Eastern countries urged the White House to proceed, fearing a pivot to military action under President Trump.

"They asked us to keep the meeting and listen to what the Iranians have to say," one US official said, adding that the administration agreed "to be respectful" to regional allies and pursue diplomacy, though remaining "very skeptical."

White House envoy Steve Witkoff, who met with ‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to coordinate positions, and senior adviser Jared Kushner are expected to travel to Qatar Thursday before heading to Oman, the report added.